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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28988790">Going Bananas</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuroeko/pseuds/kuroeko'>kuroeko</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Inazuma Eleven</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Food, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 09:48:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,388</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28988790</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuroeko/pseuds/kuroeko</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sakuma plans a whole perfect date day with Genda, but they unexpectedly keep running into a certain yellow fruit.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Genda Koujirou/Sakuma Jirou</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Going Bananas</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I had a vision. I had to write it. Sorry.<br/>---<br/>Thank you <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enkidudu"> Enkidudu</a> for beta!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was teal hair that caught his attention first, but that flash of color disappeared in an instant. The flow of the crowd swept around him, and he fought to try and get a glimpse of teal again. Despite purposely choosing an earlier time in the morning to meet, he’d underestimated just how many people were early risers in the city. A flash of it appeared again, letting him ascertain which direction to walk, and he braced himself to forge straight through towards the clock statue where his date was definitely waiting. Right as he got close, the bell chimed and someone familiar stepped around the tower. An orange eye glanced up and over to check the time, then snapped back down to focus on him.</p><p>“Genda! You’re here early.” Sakuma greeted him with a slight smile, but reached up with a tanned hand to pick at the side of his own eyepatch while speaking. Even though they saw each other regularly at school, it was something else to see each other in plainclothes on a weekend. Sakuma was nervous, especially with how nicely dressed Genda was compared to himself. He’d opted for a normal outfit: white penguin graphic tee, some navy cargo pants, running shoes, and a black canvas shoulder bag. Genda seemed dressed for a completely different event, in a black short-sleeved collared shirt paired with equally black shorts trimmed with red stripes on the side. He was carrying a brown leather shoulder bag, and it was a wonder how he wasn’t sweating with all the dark colors he was wearing in this weather. </p><p>“I should say the same, didn’t we say 10:30?” Genda reached over and took Sakuma’s hand away from where he was picking at his side bangs, lacing their fingers together as he did so. </p><p>“I wasn’t sure about train times,” Sakuma replied, pulling out his phone and beginning to scroll through his plans for today. He’d been the one that had proposed this...<em>date</em> after hemming and hawing over it for a few weeks. A perfect day had been planned by himself after poring over several online guides and articles, and he was determined to make it happen. Genda watched with slight amusement, wondering what all this was about. He’d simply been happy to spend an extra day with Sakuma, although if the boy wanted to go somewhere specific he didn’t mind tagging along.</p><p>“That’s alright, gives us some more time to spend with each other.” Genda happily looked around the busy train station as Sakuma continued checking his phone. Morning sunlight slanted through the upper ceiling windows, leaving bright squares of light on the colorfully tiled floor for people to step through on their way out of the station. Muted rumbles from the below-grade train tracks transferred through the floor into his feet, but the slight tug on his hand brought him right back to attention.</p><p>“OK, first, let’s go to the arcade!” They walked out onto the streets with purpose, squinting slightly at the sudden change in brightness. People were already piling up at the crosslight, and Genda carefully positioned himself so Sakuma wouldn’t be needlessly jostled into the street by pushy strangers. The light changed before Genda could say anything, and found himself nearly dragged across the crosswalk by an eager forward. Sakuma continued leading the way until they stopped in front of the glass full-length windows of a nearby popular arcade. They would come here as a team sometimes after a game in this part of the city, but it was always a rare treat. Today, however, the arcade seemed to be promoting a new series of toys. A very bright yellow series of toys.</p><p>“What the fuck.” Sakuma muttered under his breath as he took in the dozens of promotional stickers that plastered the windows. His eye snapped onto the sickly sweet rounded letters that spelled out this monstrosity’s name.</p><p>“Bana..nya?” The king of goalkeepers read it out loud before Sakuma could even force himself to think the letters through. </p><p>“I can’t.” Sakuma began to turn away, when Genda pulled him back and pointed at a forlorn claw machine in the back, sandwiched behind brightly lit promotional Bananya plush claw machines. </p><p>“Wait look, isn’t that the limited edition Extremely Fwuffy Penguin you wanted?” His keen eyes had caught sight of the telltale twinkly black fuzzy fabric that formed this special plush. Sakuma loved this series and had spent a good amount of time quietly looking at the promotional newsletters in the monthly magazines they passed around during lunch. This was the first time they’d managed to find a machine that had it, even if it meant braving the aisles of Bananyas.</p><p><em>Of course Genda would pronounce fwuffy correctly,</em> Sakuma thought as he tried not to let loose a giggle. It was true, though, he really wanted that plush, and well...if he had Genda with him….</p><p>“OK, let’s go.” They held each other’s hand tight while walking past the piles of Bananyas present in each brightly lit machine. No matter how cute the cat portion of this creature was, the banana portion was an awful addition. Sakuma couldn’t believe there were different types of cats for the same yellow banana bottom as well. Way to downgrade something originally cute. A commercial for the abominable creation was playing on loop at the entrance, and the voice sounded irritatingly similar to a certain mohawked somebody that had sparked the banana hatred steadily growing in Sakuma’s heart. </p><p>“Oh there it is!” Genda exclaimed as they stopped in front of the last machine in this aisle. A pile of the cutest penguin plushies ever stared up at them, their bright beaded eyes speaking directly into Sakuma’s soul. This series sported the special fuzzy fabric that sparkled slightly under the fluorescent arcade lights and a cute little bow with a gold heart charm on its chest. The penguins were nearly rotund, but that only made them all the more adorable. </p><p>“Time to try.” Sakuma finally let go of their clasped hands to fish out his wallet. Genda dug into his own bag, and they soon pooled out a good amount of coins on the claw machine ledge. They didn’t come here enough to get an arcade card, and with the Bananya promotion right now, all the arcade cards were Bananya versions. Sakuma didn’t want that.</p><p>The first round went well at the start. Sakuma manned the machine and was eyeing a slightly askew penguin that seemed to have already been moved by a previous attempt. It was close enough to the drop slot, so if he nudged it just right it would tip right in. </p><p>“Almost there,” he muttered, but when he leaned forward his hand nudged the drop button by accident and the claw bounced uselessly off of the nearby plush. </p><p>“Not bad, you’ll get it next time,” Genda encouraged, sliding in more coins already to cheer up his despondent date. He watched as Sakuma went for the same penguin and managed to slightly hook a fluffy fin, but lost the grip when the claw went back up in the air. </p><p>“Here, Genda, you give it a try. Since some of this is your money, too.” Sakuma sheepishly relinquished hold of the finicky machine, placing his back to the rows of looming Bananyas to block them from Genda’s view. The solemn goalkeeper complied, focusing on the task at hand and trying to come up with the best strategy. He went for the same skewed penguin plush, but his first try knocked it further upright by accident. The second try brought it back to its previous position, but by now they only had enough coins for one more try. </p><p>“Sakuma, I think you’re better at this than me.” Genda helplessly remarked as he let go of the controls. “I don’t want to mess it up again, you give it a go.” </p><p>“Alright, I’ll win this one!” He was fired up and determined to get this limited edition plush. The coins clinked into the machine one by one, and neon lights lit up around the edges to indicate it was time to start. A light push of the joystick to the right, then towards him, then another little nudge left. He squinted at it from the front, then peered around from the side to check alignment before finally committing and slamming down the claw drop button. An automatic whirring sound started up as the claw dropped down, gaining momentum, then slipped on the edge of the chosen penguin’s face and lodged itself deep into the plush mound below.</p><p>“What, how even-?!” Sakuma stood up on tip-toe to peer down into the machine as Genda tried to spot what it had grabbed as well, when the whirring suddenly started up again and the claw struggled back up into the air. Both of them held their breath as the upwards movement seemed slower and jerkier, which indicated that a plush may be on the other end. Excitement built in both their hearts until a yellow plush tip emerged from below, firmly lodged between the metal claws. An upside down Bananya appeared, gravity forcing the banana folds closed around the accompanying cat torso to present a deranged banana with cat ears. The undeterred claw machine dutifully moved to the drop slot and opened up to deliver the unwanted plush to them.</p><p>“This is disgusting.” Sakuma announced as Genda knelt down and pulled out the surprise Bananya. It was sort of cute if he held it in his fist and hid the banana part, but poor Sakuma looked absolutely upset. </p><p>“We’ve wasted enough time here, let’s go.” Without waiting for a response, Sakuma stormed out the aisles, leaving Genda to hurry after him. He glanced back, then noticed a placard on the side of the machines. Sakuma had already headed out the door, but probably wouldn’t notice if he took a little longer to leave….</p><p>“What is that man <em>doing</em>?” Sakuma grumbled to himself as he waited for Genda outside. The arcade wasn’t that big, and his partner wasn’t liable to get lost between <em>straight </em>aisles. He refused to look back at the arcade, at the mocking Bananyas, and instead glared at the street in front of them. This proved particularly effective in making nearby pedestrians give him a wide berth, so he could fume in peace. </p><p>A light tap on his shoulder had him slowly turning around, as only one person could pat his shoulder like that. Genda stood behind him, but was holding a suspiciously bulky plastic bag with the arcade logo on it.</p><p>“Sorry I took a little longer, I wanted to get this for you.” Genda dug into the plastic bag, then pulled out a perfectly shaped Extremely Fwuffy Penguin. It twinkled in the sunlight, and Sakuma nearly teared up in response.</p><p>“What, how?! You can’t have gotten it that quickly from the machine….” He gingerly reached out and accepted the round little penguin plush in his hands, running his fingers over the impossibly soft fabric. The gold charm sparkled back at him, and he knew this one would immediately go to the top of his penguin display at home. </p><p>“There was a sign on the side that said you can directly buy the plush,” his kind partner pointed at the one currently cradled in Sakuma’s hands. “So I asked the clerk, and he gave me a discount as well because the Bananya wasn’t supposed to be in that machine. I got to keep it, though.” Genda lifted up the bag to show the Bananya plush that was facedown against the frosted plastic bottom. </p><p>“Oh wow, thank you, Genda.” Sakuma stared at the penguin plush and it gazed back at him. He swore its eyes twinkled slightly in that moment. This arcade hadn’t been such a bad choice after all, and he felt better about moving onto their next date location. Cradling the plush in his arms, he pointed down the street towards a cluster of shopfronts. </p><p>“Our next stop is over there, I heard it’s a popular store and not Japanese cuisine. Something different on a special day would be fun.” He didn’t turn around while speaking, but Genda caught a hint of a blush on his ears. Since Sakuma’s hands were full of the adorable penguin plush, Genda simply walked by his side and stopped when the penguin fanatic stopped. It was an open storefront with simple olive-green framing and white trim around the windows. Half of the floor length windows were pulled back to allow easy access to the dining patio, where some customers were already eating under similarly green and white striped patio umbrellas. </p><p>While Sakuma spoke to the front waiter, Genda leaned over the nearby planters to try and get a better look at this restaurant’s cuisine. There were different dishes spread all around, but he spotted some hearty chunks of meat on a skewer, then what looked to be some healthy salads as well. Before he could judge more, Sakuma pulled on his arm and in they went.</p><p>“Salvadorian food, huh.” Genda carefully read the info section on the menu, then looked up to see Sakuma focused on trying to pick something from the vast array of unknown foods. Seeing as it was lunchtime, Genda flipped through the menu, then found what he was looking for.</p><p>“Sakuma, look, they have lunch special sets. Let’s just order one each and eat it. There seems to be a good variety in each set so we can try all the different foods here.” </p><p>“Ah you’re right, that’s a great idea!” </p><p>Genda leaned back into his chair as he watched Sakuma brighten up again. The boy was so easy to read at times, but it kept him all the more satisfied that their date was fun for both of them so far. They settled on a lunch set each, and paged through a leftover menu after their orders were taken.</p><p>“I wish they had better photos,” Sakuma whispered as he squinted at the pixelated photo next to one of the dish names. “I can’t tell what these are supposed to be.”</p><p>“Well all of these are new to us, so it’ll just be a fun discovery,” Genda replied, pulling the menu over towards him to also try and take a look at the photo. “Which food were you trying to look at?”</p><p>“This thing called ‘plantain’, I don’t know what it is.” The two of them tried to parse it out for a little longer, but decided to leave it as a surprise. Sakuma didn’t even bother pulling out his phone as it somehow felt like cheating. Playing with the penguin plush in his hands, he lifted it up to show Genda again. The kind boy only smiled back, edges of his eyes creasing as he took in the picture perfect image. </p><p>“I think I’ll give this one a name,” Sakuma looked down and bumped his chin against the top of the fuzzy plush. </p><p>“Oh yeah, what’ll you name it this time?” Genda didn’t think much for plushies, but knew that Sakuma named all the ones he got his hands on. That’s why he had a lion plush called Mr. Leon at his own place, a gift for a birthday a few years ago. </p><p>“King. He’s the king of penguins, given to me by the king of goalkeepers.” The little penguin was lifted up and set on the table as they both looked at it with adoration. It wasn’t the biggest one of his collection, but it held a special place in his heart now. </p><p>“That suits him,” Genda softly replied, then noticed a waiter heading their way with two large plates in each hand. “Oh, I think our food’s here!” Sakuma hastily stored the penguin away in his bag, then cleared out space on the table for their meals. A quick greeting with the waiter was exchanged, then he gazed at the spread in front of him as the plates were placed down. They’d each gotten a different set, and it was full of novel foods to both their palates. </p><p>Genda’s plate was a set of signature Salvadorian food: thick corn tortillas stuffed with different fillings, called pupusas. They were round, about the size of his palm, and the dough was blackened in parts from being cooked on a hot pan. He’d picked a set that contained one with cheese and black bean stuffing and another with both pork and cheese. A small salad and some salsa accompanied this, along with a chicken tamale. He looked over and saw Sakuma’s plate looked the same, although his pupusas were a set of zucchini with cheese and chicken with cheese. The same salad and salsa were also present, but there were slivers of <em>something</em> that had been grilled to a nice caramel color piled on the plate instead of a tamale. </p><p>“Ah, excuse me, are these the plantains?” Genda asked, stopping the waiter from immediately leaving their table. Sakuma picked up a fork and poked at one of the thick mystery chunks.</p><p>“Yes!” The waiter nodded, then reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a smaller yellow banana. “Lots of customers ask us this question so I have one on me, but this is a plantain! It’s a cousin of the banana, but contains more starch so we can cook it before eating.” The color had drained from Sakuma’s face, and he put down his fork and stared into the distance.</p><p>“Thank you, that was really informative.” Genda held his awkward smile until the waiter left, then he reached across the table and switched their plates. </p><p>“Genda-” Sakuma started to try his valiant knight from self-sacrificing, but the goalkeeper had already started eating a <em>plantain</em>.</p><p>“How is it?” The question came out as a whisper, and he couldn’t even bring himself to start on the plate in front of him now. Genda chewed slowly, getting used to the new food, then swallowed and picked up another one.</p><p>“It’s actually really good, it’s not a banana at all! I think they cooked it with some sugar and cinnamon, it’s sweet and like a dessert.” He chewed on the second one, then nodded. “It’s not bad. I think you’d like it, Sakuma.”</p><p>“I….” He hesitated, then remembered how that was supposed to be <em>his</em> plate. Mustering up his courage and putting his trust in Genda, he tentatively reached over with a fork, then broke off a little chunk. Committing to the bite, Sakuma popped the whole thing in his mouth, then slowly chewed on it. Sweet cinnamon and sugar rolled over his tongue—the texture was unlike that of a normal banana, the difference being that it had been thoroughly sautéed earlier.</p><p>“It <em>is</em> good.” He remarked in surprise, then reached over and switched the plates back before Genda could eat too many more of the plantains. “I suppose I can handle it.”</p><p>“Don’t push yourself,” Genda noted with a smile as he watched Sakuma go for a bigger bite. The boy had a sweet tooth, whether he admitted it or not. The rest of the food was great as well, and they ended up splitting the sets even further between them and getting a good taste of everything. Conversation flowed to recent practices and work on new hissatsus. In the end, their minds were always on the soccer field. They finished all too quickly and after splitting the bill, walked out onto the street where Genda expectantly waited for Sakuma to take them to their next destination. </p><p>“I didn’t have much planned out for the rest of the day, other than maybe going to the mall.” Sakuma remarked, glancing at his phone to check the time again. It was nearing 1:30, soon they’d have to split in order to get home before dark via the long train ride. </p><p>“Then let’s go, which way is it? I could use some new clothes as well.”<em> Matching ones would be nice, too, if he lets me. </em>Genda thought as Sakuma pulled up the map app and explained the directions to him. It was a bit of a longer walk, and they stopped multiple times in the middle to marvel at city sights. Fun was had as they meandered through parks and took photos of one another, memories to be looked back on later. After getting sidetracked a couple more times, they finally exited the tree-lined walkway and found the entrance of the mall. </p><p>“Ahhh the air-con’s so cold here,” Sakuma shivered slightly as they made it past the second set of glass doors, then immediately felt far too warm as Genda wrapped an arm around his shoulders. </p><p>“It won’t do if you caught a cold,” Genda reached over and let teal strands of hair play over his fingers. “Just let me stick to you like this, and you’ll be fine.”</p><p>“I’m far too warm now, you-!” Sakuma swatted him off, but didn’t protest when Genda caught his hand and held it tight again. The goalkeeper looked around, then spotted a brightly decorated sign near the escalators. </p><p>“If you’re too warm...there’s somewhere I think we can go to cool you off.” Pulling Sakuma along, he smiled over at his reddening boyfriend. “Just follow me!”</p><p>---</p><p>A grand opening poster hung over one wall of the chic little cafe that relied predominantly on blue and pink colors. Stripes of white marched along the walls with hearts arranged in between, with the occasional cherry silhouette appearing at random. Sakuma sat uncomfortably on the quilted white booth chair, wondering what had possessed Genda to bring them, two teenage boys, into this cutesy cafe. </p><p>“Do you want anything specific?” Genda held up the plastic menu placard as he tried to decide on what to get. The menu was a bit limited, considering the place had just opened, but the offerings looked quite good. A neon soft-serve ice cream sign that hung right under the cafe name had been enough to tell him what the signature menu item must be here.</p><p>“No...I’m OK. You can order for me.” Sakuma watched as Genda did just that, getting up from his seat and going to the counter. He was left to his own devices, pulling out his phone to prevent himself from staring back at the other customers that were definitely looking at him. The photos of today were easily accessible, and Sakuma spent a bit of time looking at the ones where he’d managed to capture Genda’s genuine smile. One of him standing in the park, turning to grin at the camera after scaring off a flock of pigeons. The next photo had him smacked in the face by a pigeon wing, priceless as well. Another one from when they’d found a small patch of nature in the concrete jungle, in front of a book cafe. The shadows from the impossibly large leaves of the monstera plant fell across Genda’s face as he posed next to it for scale, smiling widely as he stretched up an arm to show how much higher the plant was. </p><p>“Wasn’t that plant huge?” Genda’s voice cut into his thoughts as a tray was set down on their table. Sakuma looked up and gasped, as a row of adorable penguin faces stared back up at him. They were expertly crafted using chocolate icing, wafers, and scoops of ice cream in several different flavors to make them look like differently colored penguins. A mound of whipped cream formed a backdrop to them, covered with blue and yellow sprinkles and topped with two red cherries on top. More whipped cream also swirled around the penguins, so they looked to be emerging from a fluffy cloud of sweetness. This was all contained in an elongated glass dish with two spoons placed on the side.</p><p>“Isn’t it cute?” Genda prompted his shocked partner, who hadn’t moved since he’d set the tray down. “I thought you’d like it.” He sat down on the same side of the booth, to better be closer to his love and also admire the ice cream penguins. </p><p>“They’re so cute, I don’t think I can eat them,” Sakuma replied, lifting up his phone and taking a photo of the adorable dessert. This time, he remembered to flip the camera and take a photo of themselves as well. </p><p>“Well, let’s start from around them first.” His indulging boyfriend passed over a spoon, then took one himself to scoop around the penguins first. He’d thought it was all marshmallows and whipped cream, but there was something hard underneath all the piled-on sugar that slowed his spoon’s advancement. Sakuma had found it as well, and pulled his hand back to look at the bite-sized piece of dessert he’d separated out. </p><p>“What is...oh….” It was a piece of pale yellow banana, as Genda hadn’t read the ingredients carefully enough to see that this was a penguin banana split. The banana part had gotten covered with whipped cream, the only other reason he hadn’t noticed until now. He held his breath as Sakuma focused his attention on the unwanted fruit, then suddenly ate it. </p><p>“It’s sweet.” Sakuma succinctly proclaimed, then picked off the cherry on top of the whipped cream and ate it. “You know, after today, I don’t really mind bananas anymore. I used to associate them with <em>him</em>, but bananas aren’t too bad after all. Even if they tried to ruin our date every single time today.” </p><p>“I thought today’s date was wonderful, and still is.” Genda replied with a smile. He glanced around the cafe and noticed that the customers’ interest in two random teenage boys had waned and they were all talking amongst themselves again. Taking advantage of this momentary peace, he leaned over and gave a quick kiss on the cheek to his musing boyfriend. </p><p>“Genda!” A dark blush crept over Sakuma’s cheeks as he also glanced around the cafe. No one paid them any heed, and he relaxed a little bit. </p><p>“I’ve waited all day, even a goalkeeper runs out of patience,” his stoic boyfriend replied, reaching for a spoonful himself. Before he could even eat it though, Sakuma tugged his shoulder down and the young couple fortunately shared a sweet kiss on the lips free of the taste of bananas. </p><p>   </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Bananyans are OK I guess. Fun fact, Fudou's VA is the same as the one for Bananya. Made this all the more fitting.<br/>---<br/>You can find me  on my <a href="https://twitter.com/kuroekoo">Twitter</a> or my <a href="https://kuroeko.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a> !</p><p>Otherwise, see you in my next fic!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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